Eight awards for HB icecream

Rush Munro's scooped eight medals at the New Zealand icecream awards.

New Zealand's oldest icecream parlour, and Hawke's Bay's own, has just scooped eight medals at the New Zealand icecream awards last Thursday night.

Into their 90th year of business, Rush Munro's took out a gold in the premium section for their manuka honey icecream.

They also won six silver medals for their double chocolate, vanilla, vanilla bean, salted caramel, passionfruit and maple walnut.

A seventh silver award was also won with a unique brown bread flavoured icecream.

This flavour was entered in the open creative section which has a strict criteria.

Flavours entered must be a newly-created recipe and must not yet be sold commercially.

It was made using Vogel's bread, which was caramelised with brown sugar and cinnamon, as well as "other trademark secrets", Rush Munro's marketing spokeswoman Olive Glazebrook said.

The pieces of bread were transformed into small crouton-like pieces before being mixed with icecream.

"It tastes like brown bread, but really nice," she said.

Since winning the silver award, the new brown bread icecream will go on sale at the Hastings Rush Munro's parlour on Heretaunga St.

Whether it would stick around would be up to demand, Miss Glazebrook said.

Winners were decided after a two-day icecream eating conference at Auckland's Crown Plaza Hotel. Decisions were made by eight judges with 334 entries from 37 companies for the award's platinum anniversary.

The winning scoops were on offer for tasting after a three-course dinner served that night.

Rush Munro's was entered in the boutique icecream section and went up against brands like Puhoi and Kohu Road.

In 2014, Rush Munro's was awarded the supreme award for boutique manufacturer.

Founded by Fredrick Charles Rush Munro in 1926, Rush Munro's is still privately-owned and operated.